Engineered plastic solutions

Category Archives: Nylon

Have you ever come across a plastic material, a sheet, rod, or tube, in your shop or warehouse with no label and no way to determine exactly what it is? This can be a difficult challenge due to incredible number of variations that include all the machinable engineering plastics plus all the fillers and additives used to enhance or improve aspects of an engineering plastic’s performance under specific conditions.
However, there are some things you can do to get off to a good start on narrowing down the options.
We’ve put together a handy infographic on some simple do it yourself tests and how the most popular engineering plastics will react to them.

Have you set down with a plastics sales person only to find your sales rep hits

you with question after question about your application? Why is that?

More Questions? I just want some plastic!

Good sales people will ask probing questions about what you need, but in our busy days this may sometimes seem annoying or even invasive to a customer. If you’ve ever wondered “why is this sales person all up in my business, I just need some plastic,” rest assured there is often a valid reason for all those questions, not just nosiness on the part of your sales rep.

Some terms are standard to a market or industry; others may be subjective or open to interpretation. Just like a game of catch phrase two people may describe the same thing but in a different way. In this series of blog posts I’m going to address some frequent questions and terms; not as a vocabulary lesson but rather a basic overview as a communication tool to help when talking to a plastics sales representative.

The plastics triangle gives an overview of the basic types of plastics. For more about plastic types click here.

Plastics may often look and feel alike, but, in reality, there are nearly as many different varieties and formulations of plastics as there are uses of them. A benefit of purchasing from a distributor is that they stock hundreds of types of plastics from numerous manufactures in their facilities so one of the things a sales rep can do is to help customers pin point which plastic it is they really need.

Question and Answer is the simplest form of two-way communication.

One of the best ways to identify the material a user needs is by asking questions, in particular regarding the application. Often this will narrow down the possibilities tremendously. The material request that probably makes anyone in the polymer/plastics business cringe most is- “You know it’s plastic, just the regular kind.” By inquiring as to the intended use of the item (application) a competent sales person can at least direct the customer to a category of materials from which to choose.

Questions that help select the right plastic material…
What is the intended use of this plastic material?Is the application Static or Dynamic? Is the application Structural or Wear?
These are all snazzy terms used to define if an item is going to be stationary/immobile or if it will be moving. The answer to this question will likely lead toward one of two classifications of thermoplastics; Amorphous or Crystalline. Looking at structural vs. wear means looking at the stress or friction a part might be under when its in use.

Friction is the resistance that one surface encounters when moving along another surface. A part that does not move, may still come into contact with one that does (mating parts or rollers are good examples). The friction may cause wear and it can also be a source of increased heat.

A particular set of properties might be more or less crucial to a given application, we do not engineer said applications but rather give you the best tools and guidance to do so!

This week we decided to bring you a little bit of a different way of looking at engineering plastics. We hope you find this info graphic helpful in determining the differences between various types of engineering plastics and how factors like heat and chemicals can affect these materials.

If you are a user of Nylon materials do you use extruded or cast nylon? Do you always use one vs. the other? Material testing shows there are differences between extruded and cast nylon materials that may warrant a good look at a Technical Data Sheet before you make your material selection.

The Top 5 Differences between the more traditional extruded nylon and cast nylon materials are:

5 – A cast nylon material inherently has less stress than extruded nylon

The table below shows a comparison chart between a typical cast nylon and a typical extruded nylon. In this case we are looking at Property Comparison of Nycast® 6pa – Natural versus Extruded Natural Nylon 6/6

Property

Units

ASTM Test Method

Nycast ® 6 pa Natural

Extruded Nylon 6/6

Specific Gravity

g/cm3

D792

1.15-1.17

1.15

Tensile Strength

psi

D638

10,000 – 13,500

11,500

Tensile Elongation

%

D638

20 – 55

50

Tensile Modulus

psi

D638

400,000 – 550,000

425,000

Compressive Strength

psi

D695

13,500 – 16,000

12,500

Compressive Modulus

psi

D695

325,000 – 400,000

420,000

Flexural Strength

psi

D790

15,500 – 17,500

15,000

Flexural Modulus

psi

D790

420,000 – 500,000

450,000

Shear Strength

psi

D732

10,000 – 11,000

10,000

Notched Izod Impact

ft.lbs./in.

D256

0.7 – 0.9

0.6

Hardness, Rockwell

R

D785

115 – 125

115

Hardness,

Shore D

D2240

78 – 83

NV

Melting Point

deg. F

D789/D3418

450 +/- 10

500

Coefficient Of Linear Thermal Expansion

in./in./F D696/E831

6.1 x 10 (-5)

5.5 x 10 (-5)

Deformation Under Load

%

D621

0.5 – 2.5

NV

Deflection Temperature:

264 psi deg. F

D648

200-400

200

Deflection Temperature:

66 psi deg. F

D648

400-430

N/A

Continuous Service Temperature

deg. F

230

210

Intermittent Service Temperature

deg. F

330

NV

Coefficient Of Friction: Dynamic

D1894

0.22

Water Absorbtion – 24 Hours

%

D570

0.5-0.6

0.30

Water Absorbtion – Saturation

%

D570

5.0-6.0

7

Dielectric Strength

500-600

400

Dielectric Constant 60 Cycles

3.7

3.6

1000 Cycles

3.7

3.6

100,000 Cycles

3.7

3.6

(The facts stated in the above table are based on experiments and information believed to be reliable. No guarantee is made of the accuracy, however, and the products are sold without warranty, expressed or implied, and upon the conditions that purchaser shall conduct their own test to determine suitability for their intended use.)

Although it may not always make sense to choose a cast nylon over an extruded nylon material, characteristics of cast nylons can ultimately mean longer wearing parts and in applications such as bearings, nylon wear pads, or gears, that can mean less downtime of equipment, less maintenance and improved operating costs over time.

After a year or more of research and hard work to expand, AIN Plastics is pleased to announce the opening of a new AIN Plastics Distributor Branch in the St. Louis Missouri area.

New Business Locations Don’t Happen Overnight

This week I had the opportunity to talk with Chris Urban, Branch Manager for AIN Plastics new St. Louis Area Distribution Facility. I asked him what it took to get a new branch opened up. Chris said they started with finding the right location, which turned out to be in the same building as the St. Louis area ThyssenKrupp Materials NA Facility (AIN Plastics parent company since 1993). Then came finding the right equipment which includes a brand new saw for custom cutting orders and finding just the right people with both customer service and previous plastics experience. Chris noted they wanted to hit the ground running from their first day of business. He went on to say:

“We have worked hard in preparation over the past year prior to our opening and we are very excited to see our hard work pay off. ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, AIN Plastics Division did a great deal of research regarding this project. St. Louis is an ideal location to further extend our distribution. From this branch we will be able to provide customer service and quick turn around on orders to Missouri and surrounding states.”

Chris also said he wanted to thank all the AIN people that came to St. Louis from other branches to support his team for the first few days. “Having the support of the entire AIN Plastics company has made starting the new branch a great experience for everyone. We feel truly supported and connected to everyone in the company.”

AIN Offers More than Materials – It’s about Value Added Services

I asked Chris about the services they will be offering. Chris says the new AIN Plastics distribution branch offers a comprehensive list of value added services including:

Close tolerance custom cutting of orders

Customized Inventory and stocking programs including just in time delivery solutions

A vast inventory of sheet and rod materials, some of them highly specialized

Professional team with years of plastics industry experience

ThyssenKrupp Nationwide Logistics for the best possible delivery

More Manufacturers are Choosing Plastic Due to it’s Many Benefits

Chris talked about how the selection of plastics is changing rapidly due to its value as a lightweight component in manufacturing, it’s ability to be reused and recycled, and it’s cost. Plastics are often an affordable material compared to more traditional resources such as metal, wood, or glass, and they often outlast and outperform those materials. Researchers are always developing even better plastics. “We have a team in place that can help customers sort through and not just find a plastic that will work, but rather the right plastic for their application.”

Plastics, Plastics, and More!

When it comes to what plastics the St. Louis AIN Plastics branch will stock, Chris gave me a short rundown and said this doesn’t come close to covering all the materials we have:

Industrial Plastics

High Pressure Laminates

Engineering Plastics including

ABS

Acetal

Cast Acrylic

Polycarbonate

Radel R

Semitron

Techtron

Composite Tooling products

RAMPF Styling, Modeling, and Tooling Boards

RAMPF Close Contour Paste and Casting Materials

Thermoform Materials

Epoxy Casting and Laminating Resins

Foundry and Pattern Materials

Plastic Tubing including Medical and Food Grade

FDA compliant plastics for medical and food service industries

Silicone

Rapid Prototyping

DuPont TM Vespel® (AIN Plastics is the Authorized Distributor)

Well, you get the idea, it’s a long list and that’s just the beginning. Chris says the best way to learn more is by visiting the website ainplastics.com or better yet by giving them a call at 877.246.7700.
The AIN Plastics Distribution Facility is located next to the ThyssenKrupp Materials NA facility:

59 Interstate Drive
Wentzville, MO 63385

Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

For more information regarding the new AIN Plastics St. Louis Area Branch

That’s it for this week’s news. Look for our other posts where we look not at ourselves, but at the world of plastics. What’s new, what works, why certain plastics are good in specific applications and more. IF you do want to learn more about AIN Plastics and our history check out the “About Us” page on our site.

In remembering Veterans Day this past week I thought it might be interesting to consider some of the various and unique ways that plastic materials have contributed to safety, security and defense.

How Are Plastic, War And Women’s Stockings Related?

In the late 1800’s Cellulose based products began showing up in the marketplace. This was followed in the 1900’s with materials like PVC’s (PolyVinylidene Chloride) and Phenolic materials (formerly known commonly as Bakelite). However the big turning point needed to launch plastics into the mainstream industrial world would be that of necessity. World War II required rationing of many raw resources such as costly silk from Asia which was used in parachutes, cords and cabling, as well as stockings. DuPont introduced Ladies’ Nylon stockings right from their Wilmington Delaware headquarters and they sold out of the new hosiery within a few hours! No longer did women have to struggle to afford costly silk stockings (if they could be found) or paint their nylons on. The new stockings looked great, fit well, and outlasted traditional silk or leg painting.
Nylon went on to become one of the most common polymers used in industrial applications, prized for its toughness and excellent wear properties, not mention it’s ability to be quite stylish and fashionable!